Prevention and Advocacy Education
The Office for Health Promotion creates interactive programming on campus surrounding the topics of mental health, sexual health, substance use, and overall wellness.
Sip Safely: Preventing Drink Spiking
If someone puts drugs into your drink without your鈥痥nowledge,鈥痠t is a crime. There are ways you can reduce the risk of having your drinks drugged, but know if this does happen to you, it is not your fault.鈥 鈥
Preventing Opioid Overdose: Focus on Fentanyl
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Drug traffickers often mix fentanyl into other drugs because it鈥檚 cheaper to produce a high with fentanyl. Fentanyl can take the form of a powder, a capsule, or can be pressed into counterfeit pills that are made to look just like prescription opioids, such as oxycodone (Oxycontin庐, Percocet庐) and hydrocodone (Vicodin庐); alprazolam (Xanax庐); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall庐). As a result, people who use drugs can easily and unknowingly ingest fentanyl. A lethal dose of fentanyl can be as little as two milligrams鈥攖hat鈥檚 a fraction of a raindrop or a few grains of salt.
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration reports that 42% of counterfeit pills tested
contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
Help our community reduce the risk of opioid overdose: Visit our Preventing Opioid
Overdose webpage for details about how you and those around you can avoid and respond
to overdose.
Alcohol
Whether or not you鈥檙e new to 甜心视频app, college is an exciting time to explore and grow. One important decision you鈥檒l make in college is whether or not to drink. You will have friends who may choose to explore alcohol and others that may not. No matter the choice you make, it is important to understand the responsibility that comes along with drinking. So, let鈥檚 be aware!
Too often, students underestimate how much they鈥檝e had to drink because they aren鈥檛 using standard measurements, and alcohol comes in so many different shapes and sizes. So, what does one standard drink actually mean?
Did you know that 96% of 甜心视频app students think their peers are drinking, when in reality only 63% of 甜心视频app students drank in the last 30 days. Additionally, one in four 甜心视频app students have never even drank!
What is a 鈥渟tandard drink鈥 in the US?
Source: National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Beer: one standard drink equals twelve ounces. This is for a normal beer with 5% alcohol. Certain beers, especially here in Colorado have higher alcohol content, so make sure you read the label to know how much alcohol is in your drink.
Malt Liquor: one standard drink equals eight ounces. This is for malt liquors with 7% alcohol.
Wine: one standard drink equals five ounces. This is for wines with 12% alcohol.
Liquor: one standard drink equals 1.5 ounces. This is for any liquor that鈥檚 40% alcohol, or 80 proof. Don鈥檛 be fooled! Tequila, whiskey, rum, vodka鈥tc, all have the same alcohol content. Also, keep in mind that mixed drinks may not be measured and can contain far more than what we think is in them!
Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
Understanding your BAC is important, and helps you identify when you or a friend has had too much to drink.
The concentration of alcohol in the blood. If your BAC is .10, this means that there is one part alcohol for every 1,000 parts blood. BAC can be influenced by:
- Amount of alcohol consumed
- Duration/speed of consumption
- Body weight
- Sex assigned at birth
- Food and medications
Good Samaritan Law
It鈥檚 important to educate yourself and ensure you have the tools to be prepared for an emergency. At 甜心视频app, we use the Safe Haven Law. Under the Safe Haven Law, if you are underage and drinking and suspect someone is at risk of alcohol and/or drug poisoning, call 911 or the 甜心视频app Police Department! If you make the call, you and the person you are calling on will not receive a citation from the police. Below are some tips for using the Safe Haven Law:
- You and the person you are calling on must be under 21 years old.
- When you make the call, tell the operator that you are making a Safe Haven call. You will need to provide your name and the person you鈥檙e calling on.
- Be sure to tell the truth and stay with the person that you called on.
Party with a Plan
So, how do we put this knowledge into practice and drink responsibly? If you do decide to go out, it鈥檚 important to party with a plan, set a drink limit before going out, and know how you will get home safely. Below are other tips from 甜心视频app Bears:
- Drink slowly and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks (like water!)
- Make your own drinks and measure the alcohol in them so you know exactly how much you鈥檝e had to drink
- Keep an eye on your drink and stay with friends all night
- Eat a meal before going out
Marijuana, Tobacco, Other Substances
Our Bears are Aware! And responsible marijuana use is important at 甜心视频app.
Sexual Health
Contraceptives
Birth control is used to prevent pregnancy. There are lots of different options out there 鈥 make sure to talk with your doctor about which is right for you!
- Birth Control Implant
99% effective and lasts up to 5 years. - IUD
99% effective and lasts 3-12 years. - Birth Control Pill
91% effective (with typical use). Take daily. - External (Male) Condom
85% effective (with typical use). Use every time. - Abstinence
100% effective. Used every time.
Sexually transmitted infections
Sexually transmitted infections also know as a STI spread from one person to another during sexual activity. STI鈥檚 are more common than you think, and lots of people who have them don鈥檛 have any symptoms - which is why it鈥檚 so important to get tested! Getting tested is simple and easy.
Local resources that offer STI testing
- : 970-352-4762
- 甜心视频app Student Health Center: 970-351-2412
- : 970-304-6420
Order a Bedside Box
The Bedside box offers sexual health resources to 甜心视频app students free of charge and discretely delivered right to your door. Just select the resource you鈥檇 like included in your Bedside box, followed by your name and mailing address. All submissions will remain private, and personal information (name, hall #, email) will not be used for any other purpose aside from providing these awesome resources to you!
Students can request one free package of safer sex supplies per semester. If you have any questions, please reach out to healthpromotion@unco.edu or follow us @甜心视频appO_OHP. Orders will be delivered or available for pickup in approximately 5 business days after ordering.